Forever Young Birth Of A Nation (12 page)

“Yes.”

“Well sir, Ian McCloud and his companion
James Barrows are wanted for questioning by the high command of his
Majesty’s forces in North America.”

Cosette felt her heart sink at this
revelation. She thought
what has happened to cause this?

Angus replied “Wanted for questioning?
Whatever for? Ian did not know a single soul in North America until
he came here a few weeks ago. What could he possibly know in that
short of a time? And why are so many troops here?”

“Mr. McCloud, this building has been taken
over for billeting troops of His Majesty’s Armed forces. As for
what he is wanted for, I am not certain. We came here only this
morning to take him and Mr. Barrows into custody and to serve
notice of their eviction as well.”

“Eviction? Good heavens Lieutenant Walker
there has to be a mistake. Ian McCloud was sent here to establish
this very bank by Robert Milliken and his papers bore the seal of
the Crown itself. I didn’t know that New York was occupied. We
thought that only Boston was.”

“Well, New York City is not occupied
officially. It is still officially under civilian authority, but
this is some sort of special circumstance and truly it is not the
norm for something like this to happen. You might well take it up
with the High Command at Government House in the morning Mr.
McCloud. I do wish that I could be of more help.”

“So you don’t know where Ian and James are
staying then, Lieutenant?”

“No ma’am, I don’t. The last place we knew
of was here at the bank itself. We came here this morning only to
find them both gone and the safe opened and empty of all funds.
We’re searching actively even now for both of them.”

“Isn’t it a bit unusual for two bankers to
camp out in a bank building?”

“I can’t comment on that, Ma’am. They were
living at Bessies Boarding House only a few days ago though.”

“They left a boarding house to live
here?”

“Well, not exactly ma’am. They were evicted
from that place too by order of the High Command.”

“What? You said that New York was under
civilian rule. A boarding house was taken over by the Crown too?
How many buildings have you taken over for the crown to billet
troops, sir?”

“Ma’am, I only know of Bessies and this
one.”

Angus spoke then, saying “Why that is an
outrage, sir. Only the places where Ian and James lived were taken
over out of all of New York City? My God who is the lunatic in
charge of this asylum?”

“Sir that would be Colonel Harold Grundy. He
is the ranking officer in New York City right now. You could ask
for an appointment to see him tomorrow at Government House. Perhaps
he can be of assistance. This is beyond my experience and I have
been here some eighteen months now. I do wish that I knew more
sir.”

Seeing that they were at an impasse, the
four of them looked at each other, and then Cosette stepped forward
smiling “You have been as helpful as you could be Lieutenant
Walker. Thank you and good evening. She turned and climbed into the
carriage, followed by the other three, all of them shaking their
heads.

Cosette spoke to the driver then, saying
“Driver, do you know the way to Bessie’s Boarding House?”

As dusk drew near, Ian and James decided to
look for a stream where their horses could be watered and allowed
to rest for the night. Making good time for being in a horse-drawn
wagon they had only once passed a small company of militia some two
days ago. Those had been traveling south and James pulled the team
off of the road to allow them to pass. The commanding officer
nodded curtly to them as his column passed, taking them for
trappers or frontiersmen on their way somewhere with a load of
smelly hides to sell.

They were somewhere south of the settlement
of Harrison and James was letting the two horses plod along at
their own pace. Ian heard the trickle of a small stream so they
slowed and he jumped down to lead the horses into a brushy copse
alongside of a stream. It was flat and grassy all around the stream
so the two soon had the horses uncoupled from the wagon and they
were grazing as darkness overtook them.

“James, you hunted last night so I’ll hunt
tonight.” James nodded and handed his flasks to Ian. They had
alternated hunting since starting due to having a sizable amount of
gold and silver to keep watch over.

Soon Ian was rocketing through the woods
toward the west until he came upon the scent of rabbit. Within some
twenty minutes he had bagged four and had bled them. Packing up to
return to their campsite, he paused, certain that he had heard a
scream. In seconds he heard it again and rocketed toward the sound,
moving through the dark woods like a flash.

The yet-distant glow of a campfire could
just be discerned as he leapt a stream without slowing. Upon
entering a small clearing he saw a large man atop a woman who
struggled valiantly. The man reared back and slapped her viciously
across her face just before he was lifted bodily and tossed like a
rag doll some twenty feet to land on his back.

Ian turned and extended a hand to help the
woman to her feet and only then saw that she was naked. He quickly
shrugged off his ruck sack and stripped off his shirt, handing it
to her. She recoiled from him in fear so he smiled reassuringly and
just handed the shirt to her.

By then the man had gotten to his feet and
was running full tilt towards Ian cursing, his brawny arms
outstretched. Ian merely grasped one of his outstretched arms at
the wrist and turning swiftly he slammed his hip into the stomach
of the attacker and threw him high into the air to crash to the
ground some twenty feet away. The giant shook his head and looked
around, wondering how he had been so easily tossed so far, but
drawing a large hunting knife from its scabbard at his side, he
advanced carefully, an evil smile on his face.

Seeing that Ian was not as big as he, and
had not yet even drawn his own knife, the man said “You have made
your last mistake this night, trapper.” He rushed Ian then, and was
surprisingly fast for such a big man. Accustomed to winning any
fight he chose to enter, the man had long been feared on the
frontier as a rough and tumble fighter of renown.

Ian merely stepped closer and grabbed his
knife arm in a grip of steel and slapped the man across his face
some six times in rapid succession. Wrenching the knife from his
hand, Ian drove a solid uppercut into the man’s solar plexus,
doubling him over to where he lay gasping on the ground, trying to
get his breath.

Turning to the woman on the ground, Ian
asked “Are you hurt, Ma’am”

She looked wide-eyed at him, not believing
what she had just seen and shook her head, saying "Me…..English
no…..speak”

Thinking that he discerned a hint of a
French accent, Ian said “Parlez vous Francoise?”

Her eyes brightened immediately as she
replied “Oui Monsieur” still wide-eyed in wonderment as she sat on
the ground, Ian’s shirt spread modestly over her body. He smiled
reassuringly and speaking in French he said “I am Ian McCloud.”

She nodded, still wide-eyed and sat staring
as the man on the ground began to finally breathe easier, his
coughing and gasping beginning to subside. Finally it dawned on her
that she was supposed to reply as Ian stood looking expectantly at
her, still smiling reassuringly. She said “I am Moon Owl, of the
Seneca people.”

“I am honored to make your acquaintance,
mademoiselle. What is the meaning of this situation? Has this man
harmed you before now?”

“He killed my husband some six days ago and
has kept me bound and gagged ever since. The only time I have been
freed is to relieve myself or to be raped.” Her eyes widened as she
saw his eyes suddenly glow a frosty icy blue for an instant and
then settle toward a color like that of cracked ice.

Turning to the giant just now standing up
and looking for his knife, Ian said “This woman says that you
murdered her husband and raped her.”

“I took her from a pantywaist trapper. Look,
if you want to sample some of that, why didn’t you say so? We can
share her after all.” All the while he spoke his eyes cast about
looking for his knife.

“You are done with rape and murder.” Ian
darted forward reaching out like a snake striking, and taking the
man’s head between his two hands he twisted it completely backward,
breaking the man’s neck with an audible crack. Catching his large
body as it collapsed, Ian tossed it over his shoulder like it was a
blanket and trotted off into the darkness. Rocketing away for
nearly a half mile he encountered a steep ravine and tossed the
body into the underbrush that choked it. In around a minute he had
returned to the campsite. The woman was in the kidnapper’s wagon
and was dressing herself. She peered out and climbed down, walking
over to Ian, still wide eyed and handed him his shirt, saying
“Merci, monsieur.”

“You are welcome, Moon Owl. Please do call
me Ian. Are you hungry?”

She nodded, so Ian told her to settle down
by the fire. He smiled reassuringly then, saying “I won’t be gone
for long. I will bring food.” He seemed to nearly vanish then,
barely making a sound. She blinked her eyes in astonishment
thinking
what a strange man, but so gentle and yet…..so violent
too.
Sitting by the fire she wondered if she had really and
finally been delivered from the nightmare of the past six days.

She was aware then that he had returned, but
she had hardly heard a sound. A dead rabbit was in his hands and he
quickly produced a cord from his rucksack and hung the carcass from
a sturdy branch of a large shrub. Squatting down then he proceeded
to gut it and peel the hide off of it faster than she could
imagine. Shortly he had produced a piece of green poplar and using
it as a spit, he handed it to her to hold over the fire. Turning
about he cast about the campsite and locating the dead man’s knife,
he carried it to the river nearby and washed it. Handing it to her
he said “I have to leave for a bit, but I will come back soon.” He
stood then and smiled again reassuringly at her and vanished
southward. She could have sworn that he leapt the 30 foot across
the stream without a sound.

Having eaten over half of the rabbit she
heard the sounds of a wagon coming. Ian called out to her in French
as he and James approached, leading the horses in the darkness. The
two quickly had their horses out of their harness and tethered near
the stream in thick grass. Approaching her, Ian smiled and said
“Moon Owl, this is my friend James Barrow. James, this is Moon
Owl.” She had stood when the two had entered the clearing, and now
smiling timidly she nodded toward James.

“Would you like something more to eat, Moon
Owl?”

“No thank you. I did not leave any for you
though.” She thought
how do you hunt in the dark? No one does
that. And the way you tossed that giant around and broke his
neck…….

“James and I ate just before dark, so we
will be fine until morning. You may sleep by the fire or in your
wagon. One of us will keep watch.”

“I’ve lain in that wagon quite enough.”
Shortly she had returned with two blankets and had rolled herself
into them, close to the fire.

“Can you find your people?”

“Yes. Or at least I can when I get closer to
home.”

“We are traveling to Boston and you are
welcome to come that far with us.”

“Thank you both. I would be grateful.”

“When we get our business done, we might
even take you to your people if you can wait that long. It will be
wintertime by then though.”

In fact it was quite cool already that year.
Moon Owl knew that they would have to walk there through snow and
that game would be scarce. She said “I can wait until springtime if
that is agreeable to you.”

“We have nowhere to be after we are done at
Boston and can stay there until springtime too.”

She nodded with a genuine smile then,
thanking them. As the fire crackled softly, green wood sizzled as
it burnt slowly; her eyelids grew heavy and she dropped off to
sleep, thinking
what a strange turn my life has taken! And what
strange companions I have. There is something mysterious about
these two. What is it?

The four vampires sat in the study of what
was now Miles Edwards’ home. Moreau stood and paced the floor, his
brow furrowed in thought as the other three watched him. Finally he
spoke, saying “We know that there was a great uproar when a child
was kidnapped. We know that Miles’ brother had a …disposition for
children. Miles has found the remains of a bite taken from what
looks like a human ear. His brother is missing. I overheard two
names spoken in Austria the day after my brother was killed there.
Those two were mentioned by that constable, who was he?”

Yvonne spoke then “Frederick Connors.”

“Thank you, Yvonne. Connors said that one
Henri and Ian were here together, from France. He also said that a
child of the right age and description was seen with those two and
others at a concert given by Celeste when she was here. This Ian is
now in America and this Henri is presumably in France again with
that child and others of his group.”

Edwards said “shall we go after Henri first
then?”

“No. He is a well-connected
Adept
of
some importance to be on such a friendly terms with a vampire like
Wilhelm Hoffmeister. He may even be a member of their
Council
whatever that is. I can tell you that I have never
seen such a fighting force in my life. It will take a lot of
planning to exact revenge on him, especially in France.”

Yvonne spoke then, her green eyes glittering
“Then we go after this Ian McCloud in America. He is alone and we
can take him when we find him.”

Edwards said “He’s not alone, but has one
companion, a young man by the name of Barrows.”